Big South Fork

(Oneida TN)
Traveling south, I went to Big South Fork River National Recreation Area. This is a large park covering parts of Kentucky and Tennessee. After driving the 13% grade and tight switch backs I arrived at Bandy Creek Campground.

Blevins Farm at Big South Fork NRA

I took a hike through the woods which took me past the Blevins Farm homestead. The owners worked it with traditional methods from 1870 to 1980. The buildings and fields have been maintained as they were at that time.

Rock ledge along the trail

Further along the trail were Bandy Creek, a few remnants of other early settlement, and the ledges area. These were several cliffs with overhangs used by Indians and early hunters. The only other hiker I saw on the trail was a doe that crossed the path, paused to check me out, then continued into the woods.

Cottage at village of Rugby

My cousin came out to see me, and took me to Harrow Road Cafe in Rugby. It serves a menu of authentic English dishes, like Bangers and Mash, Welsh Rarebit, Fish-n-Chips; I had the Shepherds Pie with side salad and tea. This is a small community recreated from a failed English settlement of the 1800s. Buildings have been restored, there’s a Visitor Center, and they have walking tours, and seasonal events.

Two Arches at Big South Fork

Afterward we went for a hike to Twin Arches. The trail took us to the top of them, and steep stairways led down to the bottom viewing area. There are two right next to each other, which is supposed to be rare. The north arch is 93 ft wide and 62 ft high, and the south one is 135 ft wide and 103 ft high. The view would be much better in early spring or late fall when leafage would be thinner.

East Rim Overlook at Big South Fork

On the way out, I stopped to see the East Rim Overlook. A deep 500 feet gorge cut by the Big South Fork River that empties into the Cumberland River. I enjoyed my time at this park and only saw a fraction of what is available in the area.

3 Responses to Big South Fork

Looks like a nice area.- we did not stay in many national recreation areas or COE areas as we tended to say in one place for a minimum of 1 week and sometimes 1 month. Unhooking to use the dump station and then hooking and leveling back up again was really not worth the fee savings.

Dick: Apparently our priorities are much different. I’d gladly unhook to dump when the rate is one half to one third. I can usually go two weeks without a dump anyway. Most national campgrounds have a 14 day stay limit, so that works for me.

Yes – we wanted to see and experience most all of what was in our area so a week was the shortest stay we did – we stayed in Nashville for example for one week and did not get to everything we wanted to see – going back soon to finish the visit – same thing with Acadia NP – Charleston South Carolina and Nova Scotia for a month and Quebec for a month. The money we saved on gas more than paid for the RV parks we stayed at. Plus we had the amenities of the RV parks. A different type of journey from yours. Whatever the journey is, it’s a lot of fun.Stay safe.